Machine for assembling paper spools



M. E. GAZETTE 2,799,210

July 16, 1957 MACHINE .FOR ASSEMBLINGPAPERYSPOOI-JS 3 Sheds-Sheet 1 Filed July 13. 1953 y 19.57 MQE. GAZETTE 2,799,210

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING PAPER SPOOLS Filed-July 15. 1953 I s Shets-Sheet 2 m SQ- 1957' GAZETTE 2,799,210

MACBINE. FOR ASSEMBLING PAPER SPOQLS I I s Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 13. 1953 United States PatentO 2,799,210 v MACHINE FUR ASSEMBLING PAPER SPOOLS Marshall E. Gazette, North Weymouth, Mass. Appiication duly 13, 1953, Serial No. 367,646 4 Claims. (Cl. 93-4) This invention relates to a machine for assembling the parts of paper spools. In packaging cut lengths of ribbon and the like, it is in many cases convenient to employ light-weight spools consisting of acylindrical barrel or body of stiff paper or thin cardboard and heads consisting of discs of the same or other suitable material. cording to the invention a conveyor is provided to carry a succession of cylinders past rolls by which liquid adhesive is applied to the ends thereof. Discs which are to be applied to these ends are brought from magazines of such discs and are pressed against the cylinder ends. Pressure is maintained against these discs for a sufficient interval to enable the adhesive to take hold and secure the discs to the ends of the cylinder. The assembled spool is then discharged.

For details of the mechanisms for assembling the spools reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the entire machine embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an isometric view of a typical paper spool of the kind to be assembled;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, on a larger scale;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section on the line 66 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 6, as indicated by the line 7-7;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line SS of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan View of some of the apparatus shown in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a section on the line 1iil0 of Figure 8;

Figure ll is a fragmentary sectional view of an assembled spool before release from the pressing means; and

a Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional l2-l2 of Figure l.

The machine as a whole is illustrated in Figure 1 except for a portion which duplicates a portion shown therein and is omitted for clarity. The machine consists chiefly of a magazine 29 for cylindrical paper barrels for spools, a feed wheel 22 which receives successive barrels from the magazine and transfers them to individual supports on a conveyor 24, a second conveyor 26 which receives the spool barrels from the conveyor 24- after the ends of the barrels have been coated with glue, and two conveyors 28 which receive individual paper discs from view on the line magazines 3t) and transfer them to cradles on the con two conveyors28 and the two magazines 30 are similar, 7

one of these units is shown in Figure 1', its counterpart "2,799,210. Patented-July 16, 1957.

the top of the wheel 22 and are carried around with the wheel until they reach the lowermost point whereupon they drop into individual supports 38 on the conveyor 24. In order to prevent the barrels from falling out of the notches 34 before they reach the point of discharge, an arcuate guide member 49 is mounted in proximity to the periphery of the feed wheel 22.

The supports 38 consist of two members (Figure 3) which are adjustably mounted on a plate 42, the two members of the support being adjustable toward and away from each other to accommodate barrels of different lengths. Each plate 42 is fastened at its ends to endless chains 44 which pass around sprocket wheels 46 and 48. The sprocket wheels 46 are mounted on a shaft 50 which is journaled in a frame 52 as is also the shaft 32. The sprocket wheels 48 are mounted on a shaft 54 which is journaled in a frame 56 spaced from the frame 52. The shafts St and 54 are preferably at the same level so that the conveyor 24 has an upper and a lower stretch both of which are substantially horizontal. The supports 38 move under the feed wheel 22 just before reaching the end of the upper stretch. Here they receive barrels and carry them around the sprocket wheel 46 to the lower stretch of the conveyor 24. A guide rail 60 is provided to maintain the barrels in place on the supports 38 as the latter move into the lower stretch of the conveyor and along this stretch to a discharge point near the other end thereof. As the supports 38 with barrels thereon enter the lower stretch of the conveyor they pass between two coating rolls 62 (Figure 3) which rotate on vertical axes and by which glue or other liquid adhesive is applied to the ends of the barrels 36 as they .are carried in a rectilinear path by the supports 38.

Glue is supplied to the cylindrical surface of the cylinder 62 through pipes 64 which lead from a pump (not shown) in a tank 66. The rolls 62 are rotated as the conveyor with the spool barrels pass between them, the glue which is discharged on the rolls from the pipes 64 being spread into thin films thereon by suitable doctor blades (not shown) in a manner well known in the art. The rolls 62 are adjustable to and from each other to accommodate spool barrels of different length. To this end each roll 62 is mounted on a vertical shaft 68 which is journaled in a casting 70 supported by rods 72 mounted on the main frame 52 (Figures 3 and 4). The casting 70 is adjustable in or out by rotation of a hand wheel :76 which is mounted on a screw-threaded shaft 78in threaded engagernent with the casting '70. The shaft 68 is connected by miter gears 80 and 82 to a transverse shaft 84 which may be conveniently driven by a chain connection 85 with the shaft 32. The miter gear 82 is splined to the shaft and is supported by a bracket 86 mounted on the casting 70 so that the casting supports the miter gears, the shaft 68 and the roll 62. There is an assembly of this kind on each side of the conveyor, these assemblies being adjustable toward and from each other by mean of the hand wheels 76.

When the spool barrels which have had their ends coated with glue travel along the guide wheel 60 beneath the lower stretch of the conveyor 24, they drop off the guide rail 60 when they reach a loading station atthe end thereof and are received by cradles 90 carried by the conveyor 26. As indicated in Fig; 8 the'conveyor 26 comprises a series of rectangular rigid plates 92 secured at their ends to endless chains $3. At the mid portion of each plate the two parts of a cradle 99 are adjustably secured. Each cradle part has a semi-cylindrical hollow 94 in its top and a flange 96 at its inner end. The curvature of the hollow 94 is similar to that of the periphery of a disc 98 which serves as a head for the spool shown in Figure 2. The curvature of the edge of the flange 96 is equal to the curvature of the barrel 36 which rests on the flanges of the two parts of the cradle 96. The parts of the cradle are adiusted so that the ends of a barrel 36 will project a short distance beyond the flanges 6 as indicated in Figure 8. As the cradles advance With the conveyor 26 along the upper stretch thereof, they first receive barrels 36 from the conveyor 24. Thereafter discs 98 are dropped on the cradtes at each end of the barrels by means nereinafter described in detail. he two discs thus deposited on each cradle are thereupon pressed against the glued ends until the glue takes an initial set. The assembled spool is there after discharged from the conveyor 26 into a suitable receptacle 1%.

The pressing means for pressing the discs 98 against the ends of the spool barrel 36 consists of two presser heads 192 on stems Iliid which are slidably carried by standards 106, the latter being adjustably mounted on a plate 92 0f the conveyor 26. Each stem 1% carries a series of nuts 108, 118, 112 and 7.14. A disc 116 is clamped between the nuts 1% and 11d. Suitable tension springs 12% extend from the disc 116 to a disc 122 which is mounted on the inboard side of the standard 106 (Fi ures 8 and 9). The nut 112 is provided with a flange 124, all of the nuts being axially adjustable on the stem 104. The springs 12% constantly pull the stems 104 inward so that the presser heads 3.92 tend to move toward each other. They are normally restrained in the retracted position illustrated in Figure 8 by levers 126 which bear against the inboard surface of the flanges 124. Each lever is held in such position by a latch 130 which has a shoulder 132 against which the lever 12 6 engages. A spring 134 is attached to the latch 130 and the plate 92 to urge the latch to the operative position shown in Figure 10. When two discs 98 have been dropped into a cradle 90, the latch 13% is thereafter tripped by engagement with a fixed lug 136 mounted on the frame 56. This permits the springs 12% to pull the stems 1% toward each other so that the presser heads 102 press the discs 98 against the glue covered ends of the barrel 36 as illustrated in Figure 11. The discs are thus pressed during the travel of the cradle from the tripping lug 136 to the lower stretch of the conveyor 26 where the lever 126 encounters a cam 133 (Figure 12). The lever 126 is preferably supplied with a cam follower 140 in the form of a roller at the end remote from the end which engages flange 124. This cam follower engages the cam 138 and rocks the lever so as to retract the stem 194 until it is caught by the shoulder 132 on the latch 130. The retraction of the stems 1M releases the assembled spool which has been carried on the cradle and the spool drops into the receptacle 100. The cradle continues with the stems retracted until it again receives a spool barrel and a pair of discs, whereupon the clamping action is repeated. Mechanisms for transferring discs from the two magazines 30 to the cradles are mounted above the conveyor 26. As these two mechanisms are identical, only one of them is described herein. As illustrated in Figure 6, the magazine 30 is supported on a frame 142 and consists of a vertical tube in which are stacked a supply of discs 98. A fixed platform 144 is supported beneath the lower end of the tubular magazine 30 and is spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a disc. In this clearance is a reciprocable slide 146 which is connected to an actuating lever 147 and operates to eject the lowermost disc in the stack into gripped relation with a spring clamp consisting of a rigid bar 148 which is hinged as at 150 to a bracket 152 carried by an endless chain 154, and a leaf spring 156 secured to the bar 148. There are a series of these clamps carried by the chain 154, as indicated in Figure l with a spacing like that of the cradles 99. The free ends of the bar 148 and its spring 156 are curved away from each other as shown in Figure 6 so as to guide a disc from the magazine into gripping relation between them. Each bracket 152 is so arranged on the chain 154 that the bar 143 is maintained in horizontal position when it travels along the upper stretch of the conveyor 28 but swings down to a vertical position when it reaches the lower stretch of this conveyor, these two positions being illustrated in Figure 6. The conveyor 28 is driven at a constant speed as are the other conveyors, and mecha nism is provided to eject a disc from the magazine to each clamping member as it passes the magazine. For this purpose a solenoid 160 is mounted on the magazine 3t), its armature 162 being connected to the lever 147 so that when the solenoid is energized by the closing of a switch 164 the lever 147 is swung quickly, pushing the slide 146 so as to eject the bottommost disc from the magazine 3G to the passing clamp 148. The solenoid is at once deenergized and the slide 7.46 is retracted by any suitable means such as a compression spring 166. The disc is then carried by the clamp until the latter reaches a cam 1179 (Figures 6 and 7). This cam is engaged by the bar 148 to restrain it when the spring 156 engages a cam 172. These two cams are shaped in such a way as to wedge the ends of the spring 156 and the bar 148 apart, thus releasing the disc 98 to fall into the cradle 90 immediately below. In this way two discs are simultaneously dropped into the cradle and adjacent to the ends of the barrel carried therein.

Power for driving the entire machine may be supplied through a belt which connects a power source (not shown) with a pulley wheel 132 mounted on a shaft 184 which also carries a pinion 186. This pinion is connected through reducing gears indicated in Figures 1 and 3 to a gear wheel 1.88 mounted on the shaft 50. Meshing with the gear wheel 188 is a gear wheel 190 mounted on the shaft 32. These gear wheels maintain synchronous movement of the feed wheel 22 and the conveyor 24. The conveyor drives the shaft 54 on which is mounted a gear wheel 192 meshing with a gear wheel 194 on a shaft 196. This shaft also has a pair of sprocket wheels 198 to drive two endless chains 93 which are a part of the conveyor 26. The shaft 54 also carries a sprocket wheel 202 which is connected by a chain 204 to a smaller sprocket wheel 2% on a shaft 208 which may extend to both of the two mechanisms for feeding discs to the cradles 90. The shaft 208 thus carries two sprocket wheels 210, one for each of the chains 154. The conveyor moves continuously and the various gear wheels and sprocket wheels which connect them are of such sizes that they all keep in step.

I claim:

1. In a machine for assembling paper spools, an endless conveyor having a series of elongated plates linked side by side at their ends, a cradle mounted on the mid portion of each plate, said cradle being shaped to receive and support a spool barrel and two discs at the ends or" the barrel, presser members supported by each said plate opposite the ends of the cradle, spring means urging said presser members toward said cradle, means for retracting said presser members against the force of said spring means, latch means for locking said presser members in retracted position, and means for tripping said latch means to release said presser members.

2. Mechanism as in claim 1, each said cradle having two separate parts independently mounted on said plate and adjustable to accommodate barrels of different lengths.

3. In a machine for assembling paper spools, an endless chain conveyor having horizontal upper and lower stretches, a series of uniformly spaced clamps carried by said conveyor, each said clamp comprising an elongated rigid member pivotally attached at one end to said chain and adapted to rock about its pivot from a vertically depending position to a horizontal position, stop means associated with each pivot to maintain each said member in said horizontal position when in the upper stretch of the chain, a gripping spring mounted on each said elongated member, a magazine for holding a supply of paper discs, said magazine being located so that the lowermost disc is on a level with and adjacent to the path described by the free ends of the clamps on the upper stretch of the conveyor, and means for automatically feeding a disc from said magazine to each passing clamp.

4. A machine as in claim 3 and means adjacent to the lower stretch of said chain for releasing discs carried by said clamps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,446,359 Thorn Feb. 20, 1923 1,464,654 Holt Aug. 14, 1923 1 ,735,681 Hagist Nov. 12, 1929 1,986,847 Pechy Ian. 8, 1935 2,368,025 Jamison Jan. 23, 1945 2,375,704 Stahl May 8, 1945 2,448,478 White Aug. 31, 1948 2,682,207 Rynish June 29, 1954 

